Glass Tiger
Hank Wagner

Under the theory that it takes a sniper to understand a sniper, FBI agent Terrill Hatfield pressures ex-Ranger and ex-sniper Brendan Thorne into tracking down Hal Corwin, a legendary Vietnam operative who has threatened the life of new President Gustave Wallberg. Backed up against the proverbial wall by the machinations of the ruthless and ambitious Hatfield, Thorne starts to shadow Corwin's footsteps, getting into his prey's head, puzzling out just how and when the killer will strike. Doing so, he develops a grudging admiration for the man, whose tragic past bears eerie parallels to his own. Digging into Corwin's seemingly twisted motivations, he also discovers secrets which make him dangerous to Hatfield and the current Administration.

Although it starts from a similar premise as Stephen Hunter's ,em>Point of Impact (determining the best way to assassinate a target) and explores similar terrain (extraordinary individuals in extraordinary situations), Joe Gores' latest is very much its own book, an engaging battle of wits between two similar men whom life has treated badly. Gores brings each of his main characters to vivid life; readers will have a difficult time deciding whom to root for over the course of the novel, as its twisting course provides different perspectives on each. Fast paced and surprising, Glass Tiger finds Gores getting better with age--while the majority of his contemporaries are content to rest on their laurels, this multiple Edgar Award wining scribe continues to write novels that challenge and entertain.

Super User
2010-04-24 21:07:51

Under the theory that it takes a sniper to understand a sniper, FBI agent Terrill Hatfield pressures ex-Ranger and ex-sniper Brendan Thorne into tracking down Hal Corwin, a legendary Vietnam operative who has threatened the life of new President Gustave Wallberg. Backed up against the proverbial wall by the machinations of the ruthless and ambitious Hatfield, Thorne starts to shadow Corwin's footsteps, getting into his prey's head, puzzling out just how and when the killer will strike. Doing so, he develops a grudging admiration for the man, whose tragic past bears eerie parallels to his own. Digging into Corwin's seemingly twisted motivations, he also discovers secrets which make him dangerous to Hatfield and the current Administration.

Although it starts from a similar premise as Stephen Hunter's ,em>Point of Impact (determining the best way to assassinate a target) and explores similar terrain (extraordinary individuals in extraordinary situations), Joe Gores' latest is very much its own book, an engaging battle of wits between two similar men whom life has treated badly. Gores brings each of his main characters to vivid life; readers will have a difficult time deciding whom to root for over the course of the novel, as its twisting course provides different perspectives on each. Fast paced and surprising, Glass Tiger finds Gores getting better with age--while the majority of his contemporaries are content to rest on their laurels, this multiple Edgar Award wining scribe continues to write novels that challenge and entertain.

Hollywood Station
Hank Wagner

Under the watchful eye of the Sergeant they call the Oracle, the members of Hollywood Station go forth each day to protect and serve the diverse population of Hollywood, never knowing what the day will bring. One shift, they might have to referee a dispute between Spiderman and Batman. On another, they might stumble upon a robbery scene where a bound and gagged victim is nervously squeezing a live grenade between his legs in an effort to keep it from going off. On yet another shift, one of their number might be severely beaten at the end of an otherwise quiet sting operation. Despite the uncertainty they face, they do it day after day, year in and year out.

Rich in colorful incident, at times laugh out loud funny, at other times achingly poignant, Hollywood Stationmarks the triumphant return of Joseph Wambaugh to the police procedural. Portraying a police department under fire from within and without, Wambaugh gives the reader insights into the people who do this often thankless job. His cops are tired, and grouchy, and quick tempered, but above all, they're human, dealing with high pressure situations on a daily basis. Eschewing political correctness in his search for truth, Wambaugh emphasizes that humanity in all its glory and tragedy, producing one of the most memorable books of 2006, a worthy successor to previous classics like The Blue Knight and The Choirboys.

Super User
2010-04-24 21:07:51

Under the watchful eye of the Sergeant they call the Oracle, the members of Hollywood Station go forth each day to protect and serve the diverse population of Hollywood, never knowing what the day will bring. One shift, they might have to referee a dispute between Spiderman and Batman. On another, they might stumble upon a robbery scene where a bound and gagged victim is nervously squeezing a live grenade between his legs in an effort to keep it from going off. On yet another shift, one of their number might be severely beaten at the end of an otherwise quiet sting operation. Despite the uncertainty they face, they do it day after day, year in and year out.

Rich in colorful incident, at times laugh out loud funny, at other times achingly poignant, Hollywood Stationmarks the triumphant return of Joseph Wambaugh to the police procedural. Portraying a police department under fire from within and without, Wambaugh gives the reader insights into the people who do this often thankless job. His cops are tired, and grouchy, and quick tempered, but above all, they're human, dealing with high pressure situations on a daily basis. Eschewing political correctness in his search for truth, Wambaugh emphasizes that humanity in all its glory and tragedy, producing one of the most memorable books of 2006, a worthy successor to previous classics like The Blue Knight and The Choirboys.

Hose Monkey
Barbara Fister

There's nothing Cain is prouder of than his job as a hose monkey. He may be developmentally disabled, but he can help with fuel deliveries as well as anyone. When he sees something suspicious happening around the oil trucks he checks it out. But his loyalty comes at a high price.

Joe Serpe is hit hard when Cain is found murdered. A washed up ex-cop who's still mourning the death of his brother in the Twin Towers, he ends up investigating the crime with an unlikely partner--the IAB detective who took his badge from him. The trail takes the two into a complicated maze of bigotry and deceit.

Tony Spinosa (aka Reed Farrel Coleman, author of the Moe Praeger series) has created an appealing pair of flawed heroes, each of whom is in need of redemption. It's too bad Cain, a wonderful character, has to be knocked off to provide it. The plot has enough material for two books and the main characters are less well developed than they could be. Serpe falls in love as quickly as he gets over being a rock-bottom drunk; each takes about five minutes. But all in all, it's an entertaining tour of Long Island's dark side.

Super User
2010-04-24 21:07:51

There's nothing Cain is prouder of than his job as a hose monkey. He may be developmentally disabled, but he can help with fuel deliveries as well as anyone. When he sees something suspicious happening around the oil trucks he checks it out. But his loyalty comes at a high price.

Joe Serpe is hit hard when Cain is found murdered. A washed up ex-cop who's still mourning the death of his brother in the Twin Towers, he ends up investigating the crime with an unlikely partner--the IAB detective who took his badge from him. The trail takes the two into a complicated maze of bigotry and deceit.

Tony Spinosa (aka Reed Farrel Coleman, author of the Moe Praeger series) has created an appealing pair of flawed heroes, each of whom is in need of redemption. It's too bad Cain, a wonderful character, has to be knocked off to provide it. The plot has enough material for two books and the main characters are less well developed than they could be. Serpe falls in love as quickly as he gets over being a rock-bottom drunk; each takes about five minutes. But all in all, it's an entertaining tour of Long Island's dark side.

Journal: the Short Life and Mysterious Death of Amy Zoe Mason
Charles L.P. Silet

Amy Mason is a wife and mother of two living in Houston while her cardiologist husband, Bob, is awaiting his family's relocation to Boston, where he has recently been appointed director of the Wentworth Heart Institute.

As Amy puts the house on the market, minds the kids, and tries to sustain their relationship long distance, she begins to keep a scrapbook/journal through which the reader learns about her past, her daily life, and her growing concerns about her husband's attachment to their realtor, who has insidiously wormed her way into their lives. As her suspicions increase an air of rising panic appears in her journal, which ends finally with a couple of newspaper clippings announcing her death.

The interest in this book is not actually in the straightforward narrative itself, but rather in the ways that the narrative is complicated and enriched by the multi-textual materials of the journal/ scrapbook, an example of altered book art. The journal is a montage of images, photos, postcards, newspaper clippings, and emails that accumulate over the pages of a 19th century book that contains a Victorian melodramatic gothic tale which Amy chose for the pages of her scrapbook. Initially reading the text takes a bit of getting used to but finally it is a fascinating and interpretatively rich way to present a crime story.

Super User
2010-04-24 21:07:51

Amy Mason is a wife and mother of two living in Houston while her cardiologist husband, Bob, is awaiting his family's relocation to Boston, where he has recently been appointed director of the Wentworth Heart Institute.

As Amy puts the house on the market, minds the kids, and tries to sustain their relationship long distance, she begins to keep a scrapbook/journal through which the reader learns about her past, her daily life, and her growing concerns about her husband's attachment to their realtor, who has insidiously wormed her way into their lives. As her suspicions increase an air of rising panic appears in her journal, which ends finally with a couple of newspaper clippings announcing her death.

The interest in this book is not actually in the straightforward narrative itself, but rather in the ways that the narrative is complicated and enriched by the multi-textual materials of the journal/ scrapbook, an example of altered book art. The journal is a montage of images, photos, postcards, newspaper clippings, and emails that accumulate over the pages of a 19th century book that contains a Victorian melodramatic gothic tale which Amy chose for the pages of her scrapbook. Initially reading the text takes a bit of getting used to but finally it is a fascinating and interpretatively rich way to present a crime story.

Last Seen Leaving
Barbara Fister

Anne's daughter is missing. Always a bit of a mystery, Miranda is a child who withheld her affection from everyone but her long-deceased father. As an adult she's remote, a college dropout who works dead-end jobs and barely tolerates the occasional phone call from her mother. But when she disappears from her apartment leaving her cat behind, Anne grows worried. She crosses the country to find her. And as she sorts through the few clues left behind with a sympathetic detective, she wonders about Miranda's adored, swashbuckling father who disappeared while flying for a mysterious company, leaving the two of them bereft and estranged.

But Miranda isn't really missing. She simply wrecked her car and was given a lift by a good Samaritan to a seedy seaside town where she finds work as a waitress. Her benefactor, George, is a little strange and when he keeps showing up at odd times Miranda begins to wonder if he isn't the killer who has been stalking and killing women on the beach.The plot is deceptively simple, but the characters are not. What makes this thriller exhilarating is the unexpected strength a clueless but determined mother finds in herself and how much the reader comes to care about her difficult daughter. Each is a missing person well worth finding.

Super User
2010-04-24 21:07:51

Anne's daughter is missing. Always a bit of a mystery, Miranda is a child who withheld her affection from everyone but her long-deceased father. As an adult she's remote, a college dropout who works dead-end jobs and barely tolerates the occasional phone call from her mother. But when she disappears from her apartment leaving her cat behind, Anne grows worried. She crosses the country to find her. And as she sorts through the few clues left behind with a sympathetic detective, she wonders about Miranda's adored, swashbuckling father who disappeared while flying for a mysterious company, leaving the two of them bereft and estranged.

But Miranda isn't really missing. She simply wrecked her car and was given a lift by a good Samaritan to a seedy seaside town where she finds work as a waitress. Her benefactor, George, is a little strange and when he keeps showing up at odd times Miranda begins to wonder if he isn't the killer who has been stalking and killing women on the beach.The plot is deceptively simple, but the characters are not. What makes this thriller exhilarating is the unexpected strength a clueless but determined mother finds in herself and how much the reader comes to care about her difficult daughter. Each is a missing person well worth finding.

Lost Echoes
Barbara Fister

Ever since suffering a high fever during a childhood illness, Harry Wilkes has had a problem. When he's in a place where violence happened in the past, a sudden noise can bring the event roaring back. He either has an unusual talent--or he's crazy. He finds one way to make the unnerving experience go away: he drinks. It's not until he meets another drunk who's even further gone than he is, that he finds an ally. As they help each other get their lives back together, a childhood friend gives Harry a job to do. Her father's death was ruled a suicide, but she's sure it was murder. Though she's now a police officer and has access to the case file, she hasn't been able to find out exactly what happened. Only Harry can.

Lansdale's gift for off-beat humor leavens this unusual story, as does his ability to develop well-rounded characters who live and breathe small-town East Texas. As in The Bottoms and A Fine Dark Line, he writes about childhood and its discontents, and the supernatural element is so well handled that even the most skeptical reader will find it convincing. As usual with Lansdale, this book delivers great characters, a vivid sense of place, rueful humor, and enough action to fill a drive-in movie screen. Only Lansdale could wrap things up with a literal cliff-hanger that leaves you somewhere between the edge of your seat and on the floor, laughing.

Super User
2010-04-24 21:07:51

Ever since suffering a high fever during a childhood illness, Harry Wilkes has had a problem. When he's in a place where violence happened in the past, a sudden noise can bring the event roaring back. He either has an unusual talent--or he's crazy. He finds one way to make the unnerving experience go away: he drinks. It's not until he meets another drunk who's even further gone than he is, that he finds an ally. As they help each other get their lives back together, a childhood friend gives Harry a job to do. Her father's death was ruled a suicide, but she's sure it was murder. Though she's now a police officer and has access to the case file, she hasn't been able to find out exactly what happened. Only Harry can.

Lansdale's gift for off-beat humor leavens this unusual story, as does his ability to develop well-rounded characters who live and breathe small-town East Texas. As in The Bottoms and A Fine Dark Line, he writes about childhood and its discontents, and the supernatural element is so well handled that even the most skeptical reader will find it convincing. As usual with Lansdale, this book delivers great characters, a vivid sense of place, rueful humor, and enough action to fill a drive-in movie screen. Only Lansdale could wrap things up with a literal cliff-hanger that leaves you somewhere between the edge of your seat and on the floor, laughing.

Missing in Precinct Puerto Rico
Verna Suit

In the small town of Augustias, Puerto Rico, children are going missing. With a population of only 9,000, almost everyone in Augustias is known to everyone else and the disappearances are of concern to all. Children can go missing for various reasons, but when Sheriff Luis Gonzalo enlists the help of neighboring police departments and learns that children in other towns have been snatched, he decides the disappearances must be related.

Missing in Precinct Puerto Rico is fourth in this series, an engaging ensemble piece in the style of Ed McBain. Sheriff Gonzalo and his deputies alternate starring roles in the story, as does the sheriff's long suffering yet supportive wife Mari. Torres does an excellent job of introducing readers to rural Puerto Rico, its assorted residents, and the traditions and prejudices that color everyday life.

This book isn't for everyone. Children get hurt and even killed in its pages. The story largely concerns child abuse and is told partly from the perspective of abusers, although this perhaps does a service by increasing understanding of how these monsters think. Finely written and well paced, Missing in Precinct Puerto Rico holds one's interest to the end.

Super User
2010-04-24 21:07:51

In the small town of Augustias, Puerto Rico, children are going missing. With a population of only 9,000, almost everyone in Augustias is known to everyone else and the disappearances are of concern to all. Children can go missing for various reasons, but when Sheriff Luis Gonzalo enlists the help of neighboring police departments and learns that children in other towns have been snatched, he decides the disappearances must be related.

Missing in Precinct Puerto Rico is fourth in this series, an engaging ensemble piece in the style of Ed McBain. Sheriff Gonzalo and his deputies alternate starring roles in the story, as does the sheriff's long suffering yet supportive wife Mari. Torres does an excellent job of introducing readers to rural Puerto Rico, its assorted residents, and the traditions and prejudices that color everyday life.

This book isn't for everyone. Children get hurt and even killed in its pages. The story largely concerns child abuse and is told partly from the perspective of abusers, although this perhaps does a service by increasing understanding of how these monsters think. Finely written and well paced, Missing in Precinct Puerto Rico holds one's interest to the end.

Monkey Man
Verna Suit

The killer in this book is known from the start: The monkey did it. That is, someone in a gorilla suit comes into the Albuquerque caf? where PI Bubba Mabry is meeting with a new client and shoots the client dead. The victim, Jeff, was a zoo employee who was concerned about an alarming increase in animal deaths at the zoo and wanted Bubba to investigate. Jeff's rich fiancee subsequently hires Bubba to find out who killed Jeff.

Bubba's a likeable, no-nonsense guy who's up-front about his shortcomings but not afraid to stand up to people--unless they're backed up by monkeys, the source of a bad childhood experience. His kickass reporter wife Felicia sees a story or two in the murder and the animal deaths and takes an active interest in Bubba's investigation. Throughout, Bubba and Felicia are hounded by an enthusiastic newspaper intern who never shuts up.

Monkeys and gorillas continue to play major roles in this very funny mystery. Monkey Man is seventh in the Bubba Mabry series. When I need some good laughs, I'll check out the first six.

Super User
2010-04-24 21:07:51

The killer in this book is known from the start: The monkey did it. That is, someone in a gorilla suit comes into the Albuquerque caf? where PI Bubba Mabry is meeting with a new client and shoots the client dead. The victim, Jeff, was a zoo employee who was concerned about an alarming increase in animal deaths at the zoo and wanted Bubba to investigate. Jeff's rich fiancee subsequently hires Bubba to find out who killed Jeff.

Bubba's a likeable, no-nonsense guy who's up-front about his shortcomings but not afraid to stand up to people--unless they're backed up by monkeys, the source of a bad childhood experience. His kickass reporter wife Felicia sees a story or two in the murder and the animal deaths and takes an active interest in Bubba's investigation. Throughout, Bubba and Felicia are hounded by an enthusiastic newspaper intern who never shuts up.

Monkeys and gorillas continue to play major roles in this very funny mystery. Monkey Man is seventh in the Bubba Mabry series. When I need some good laughs, I'll check out the first six.

Obsessions Can Be Murder
Verna Suit

When PI Charlie Parker and her husband vacation in the small mountain town of Watson's Lake, a local woman hires Charlie to find her father who disappeared four years earlier. Both she and the father's second wife insist they are the rightful heirs to his estate, which is in limbo without proof of death. The daughter wants the money to finance her husband's anti-aging research, in which her father had been a partner. Charlie's search for the father includes investigation into his past and the house's explosion the day he disappeared, which killed his housekeeper.

The breathtaking scenery and small town closeness of Watson's Lake attract Charlie and she muses over the possibility of leaving Santa Fe and moving there. She finds reasons to return to Watson's Lake repeatedly, almost obsessively, despite the town's homegrown lowlife who pose their own threats. Much of the book follows Charlie as she travels back and forth, with suspense getting buried in excessive details of meals and daily routine. Moreover, the identity of the person who blew up the house and killed the housekeeper, and probably the father, seems obvious to the reader early on, but not to Charlie until almost too late.

However, Obsessions Can Be Murder, tenth in the Charlie Parker series, is lovingly evocative of the New Mexico landscape and should be enjoyable to fans of mysteries set in the west.

Super User
2010-04-24 21:07:51

When PI Charlie Parker and her husband vacation in the small mountain town of Watson's Lake, a local woman hires Charlie to find her father who disappeared four years earlier. Both she and the father's second wife insist they are the rightful heirs to his estate, which is in limbo without proof of death. The daughter wants the money to finance her husband's anti-aging research, in which her father had been a partner. Charlie's search for the father includes investigation into his past and the house's explosion the day he disappeared, which killed his housekeeper.

The breathtaking scenery and small town closeness of Watson's Lake attract Charlie and she muses over the possibility of leaving Santa Fe and moving there. She finds reasons to return to Watson's Lake repeatedly, almost obsessively, despite the town's homegrown lowlife who pose their own threats. Much of the book follows Charlie as she travels back and forth, with suspense getting buried in excessive details of meals and daily routine. Moreover, the identity of the person who blew up the house and killed the housekeeper, and probably the father, seems obvious to the reader early on, but not to Charlie until almost too late.

However, Obsessions Can Be Murder, tenth in the Charlie Parker series, is lovingly evocative of the New Mexico landscape and should be enjoyable to fans of mysteries set in the west.

One Good Turn
Joseph Scarpato Jr.

Set in Edinburgh, Scotland, this self-described "literary thriller" starts with a bang, literally, as one car is rear-ended by another at a busy intersection. In a fit of road rage, the driver in the rear car attacks the first driver with a baseball bat.While most pedestrians at the scene watch in horror and do nothing to stop the beating, a small, bespectacled man hurls his laptop at the attacker, momentarily stunning him and causing him to flee the scene.

In the crowd at the scene is Jackson Brodie, an ex-cop, a woman named Gloria Hatter whose husband is an unscrupulous and philandering real estate tycoon, and Archie Howard, a 14-year-old whose mother, Louise, is a Detective Inspector with the Edinburgh police. As the story unfolds, the lives of Jackson, Gloria, Louise, the two drivers and Martin, the laptop hurler, along with Mr. Hatter's Russian mistress, Tatiana, continue to intersect in a variety of ways.

The story is much like a set of Russian nesting dolls, where each doll opens to show a smaller one within. Here, each plot point, however unrelated it may seem at first, eventually proves to be part of the main story. Fittingly, Russian nesting dolls are also a part of the story.

Kate Atkinson's first novel, Behind the Scenes at the Museum, was named the 1995 Whitbread Book of the Year. This, her fifth novel, is also a page turner, and there are quite a few pages (more than 400) to turn.

Super User
2010-04-24 21:07:51

Set in Edinburgh, Scotland, this self-described "literary thriller" starts with a bang, literally, as one car is rear-ended by another at a busy intersection. In a fit of road rage, the driver in the rear car attacks the first driver with a baseball bat.While most pedestrians at the scene watch in horror and do nothing to stop the beating, a small, bespectacled man hurls his laptop at the attacker, momentarily stunning him and causing him to flee the scene.

In the crowd at the scene is Jackson Brodie, an ex-cop, a woman named Gloria Hatter whose husband is an unscrupulous and philandering real estate tycoon, and Archie Howard, a 14-year-old whose mother, Louise, is a Detective Inspector with the Edinburgh police. As the story unfolds, the lives of Jackson, Gloria, Louise, the two drivers and Martin, the laptop hurler, along with Mr. Hatter's Russian mistress, Tatiana, continue to intersect in a variety of ways.

The story is much like a set of Russian nesting dolls, where each doll opens to show a smaller one within. Here, each plot point, however unrelated it may seem at first, eventually proves to be part of the main story. Fittingly, Russian nesting dolls are also a part of the story.

Kate Atkinson's first novel, Behind the Scenes at the Museum, was named the 1995 Whitbread Book of the Year. This, her fifth novel, is also a page turner, and there are quite a few pages (more than 400) to turn.

Primary Storm
Hank Wagner

It's presidential primary time in New Hampshire and the media has descended like locusts on Lewis Cole's hometown of Tyler Beach. Bemused by the general situation, the ex-Department of Defense analyst turned magazine columnist is taken aback when he is visited by a Secret Service agent inquiring into his feelings about one of the candidates, Senator Jackson Hale. Although the agent doesn't mention the fact, Cole feels certain that the Service knows about the brief affair he had with the senator's wife while they were in college.

Intrigued, Cole attends a political rally for Hale the very next day; unfortunately, when someone in the crowd takes a shot at the candidate, he becomes a suspect. Dogged by aggressive Secret Service agents, and hampered by a flu attack, Cole sets out to discover those behind the frame-up. Assisted by his lethal friend, Felix Tinios, Cole tries to uncover their identities before their plans to destroy him can be realized.

In this, the sixth installment in his Lewis Cole series, author Dubois continues his slow explication of the motivations and history of his main character, providing glimpses into the columnist's relationships with supporting characters and into his murky past.

Super User
2010-04-24 21:07:51

It's presidential primary time in New Hampshire and the media has descended like locusts on Lewis Cole's hometown of Tyler Beach. Bemused by the general situation, the ex-Department of Defense analyst turned magazine columnist is taken aback when he is visited by a Secret Service agent inquiring into his feelings about one of the candidates, Senator Jackson Hale. Although the agent doesn't mention the fact, Cole feels certain that the Service knows about the brief affair he had with the senator's wife while they were in college.

Intrigued, Cole attends a political rally for Hale the very next day; unfortunately, when someone in the crowd takes a shot at the candidate, he becomes a suspect. Dogged by aggressive Secret Service agents, and hampered by a flu attack, Cole sets out to discover those behind the frame-up. Assisted by his lethal friend, Felix Tinios, Cole tries to uncover their identities before their plans to destroy him can be realized.

In this, the sixth installment in his Lewis Cole series, author Dubois continues his slow explication of the motivations and history of his main character, providing glimpses into the columnist's relationships with supporting characters and into his murky past.

Red Sky Lament
Anastasia Glass

John Ray Horn tries to live a simple life. The former B-movie cowboy star lives in a small house on the remains of a once great estate where he does upkeep for the owner, performs small jobs for his old friend and onetime Indian co-star Joseph Mad Crow. He can occasionally be persuaded to attend parties, especially if his former lover Maggie O'Dare is the hostess. But it is Hollywood in the late 1940s, and the Red Scare is sweeping the country just as the brush fires are sweeping across the hills surrounding the San Fernando Valley. One of the men named as a Communist, the talented but difficult screenwriter Owen Bruder, asks Horn to find his accuser, a task Horn reluctantly agrees to do. Soon the investigation becomes more sinister: Owen Bruder is brutally murdered, and his widow asks Horn to find the culprit. With help from Maggie and Mad Crow, Horn begins to unravel the secrets of Tinseltown.

This is a thought-provoking read. Wright skillfully captures the hysteria surrounding the investigations of the House Un-American Activities Committee, when "patriotism" was prized above all other virtues and a rumor could destroy a man's career. But loyalty cuts both ways, and Red Sky Lament brilliantly evokes the betrayal that many felt at the hands of their government.

Super User
2010-04-24 21:07:51

John Ray Horn tries to live a simple life. The former B-movie cowboy star lives in a small house on the remains of a once great estate where he does upkeep for the owner, performs small jobs for his old friend and onetime Indian co-star Joseph Mad Crow. He can occasionally be persuaded to attend parties, especially if his former lover Maggie O'Dare is the hostess. But it is Hollywood in the late 1940s, and the Red Scare is sweeping the country just as the brush fires are sweeping across the hills surrounding the San Fernando Valley. One of the men named as a Communist, the talented but difficult screenwriter Owen Bruder, asks Horn to find his accuser, a task Horn reluctantly agrees to do. Soon the investigation becomes more sinister: Owen Bruder is brutally murdered, and his widow asks Horn to find the culprit. With help from Maggie and Mad Crow, Horn begins to unravel the secrets of Tinseltown.

This is a thought-provoking read. Wright skillfully captures the hysteria surrounding the investigations of the House Un-American Activities Committee, when "patriotism" was prized above all other virtues and a rumor could destroy a man's career. But loyalty cuts both ways, and Red Sky Lament brilliantly evokes the betrayal that many felt at the hands of their government.

Rumpole and the Reign of Terror
Beverly J. DeWeese

Rumpole is worried. He suspects his wife Hilda is planning to publish her memoirs. He has also just received a meaty case--defending the mild-mannered, pleasant Dr. Khan, a Pakistani accused of terrorism. But, to Rumpole's disbelief, the British government doesn't want a trial.

Rumpole remains one of the most beloved barristers at the Old Bailey. He has integrity, wit, good nature, and a great disdain for pomposity, especially among his fellow judges and barristers. Here, his belief that everyone deserves a fair trail, even a terrorist, is the rationale for all sorts of clever trickery that force the legal system to do what he wants. Meanwhile, Hilda, of course, also does what she wants, such as having a flirtatious affair over lunch. What will be in those memoirs?

The sharp wit in the courtroom and the gentle humor of Rumpole's personal life mix very well with the more serious message. Everyone deserves a fair trial. As usual, a delightful read.

Super User
2010-04-24 21:07:51

Rumpole is worried. He suspects his wife Hilda is planning to publish her memoirs. He has also just received a meaty case--defending the mild-mannered, pleasant Dr. Khan, a Pakistani accused of terrorism. But, to Rumpole's disbelief, the British government doesn't want a trial.

Rumpole remains one of the most beloved barristers at the Old Bailey. He has integrity, wit, good nature, and a great disdain for pomposity, especially among his fellow judges and barristers. Here, his belief that everyone deserves a fair trail, even a terrorist, is the rationale for all sorts of clever trickery that force the legal system to do what he wants. Meanwhile, Hilda, of course, also does what she wants, such as having a flirtatious affair over lunch. What will be in those memoirs?

The sharp wit in the courtroom and the gentle humor of Rumpole's personal life mix very well with the more serious message. Everyone deserves a fair trial. As usual, a delightful read.

Season of the Burning Souls
Joseph Scarpato Jr.

It's not unusual for people living in New Mexico to say they're burning up in the summer, but in 1943 Silver City, New Mexico, something strange is happening. They really are burning up! The first case of spontaneous human combustion takes place in a bar where a half-crazed loner sipping on a beer suddenly bursts into flames, his hot ashes burning a hole through the barroom floor.

Before Sheriff Sam Sinrod and county coroner Dr. Bryce Whitlock can figure out what happened, another victim spontaneously combusts, and another. Is it something to do with the meteor-like object that fell into a field outside of town around the time of the first death? Or is it something more sinister that Japanese or Nazi scientists have set loose on the town? As more bodies are discovered in various locations, the burning question becomes why these particular people? What did they have in common?

This is a well-written, fast-moving World War II-era mystery that maintains a reader's interest throughout. Thanks to it's entertaining dialogue, Ken Hodgson manages to imbue it with humor and romance, despite the rather horrifying scenario.

Super User
2010-04-24 21:07:51

It's not unusual for people living in New Mexico to say they're burning up in the summer, but in 1943 Silver City, New Mexico, something strange is happening. They really are burning up! The first case of spontaneous human combustion takes place in a bar where a half-crazed loner sipping on a beer suddenly bursts into flames, his hot ashes burning a hole through the barroom floor.

Before Sheriff Sam Sinrod and county coroner Dr. Bryce Whitlock can figure out what happened, another victim spontaneously combusts, and another. Is it something to do with the meteor-like object that fell into a field outside of town around the time of the first death? Or is it something more sinister that Japanese or Nazi scientists have set loose on the town? As more bodies are discovered in various locations, the burning question becomes why these particular people? What did they have in common?

This is a well-written, fast-moving World War II-era mystery that maintains a reader's interest throughout. Thanks to it's entertaining dialogue, Ken Hodgson manages to imbue it with humor and romance, despite the rather horrifying scenario.

Slay Bells
Sue Reider

Cecily Baxter, owner of the Pennyfoot Hotel, is looking forward to a lot of festive Christmas activity. Unfortunately, someone has other ideas. A young male servant seemingly falls off the roof--and a villager playing Father Christmas is murdered. Determined not to have the holidays ruined, Cecily sets out to discover what has happened.

The book's language evokes its Edwardian time period. Conversation is genteel and the prose is dignified without being pretentious. This formality is refreshing and draws the reader into the story more deeply.

The police procedure--or rather the lack of it in this instance--is also notable. The Baxters, with the aid of the local doctor, try to sweep events under the rug so as not to disturb their guests. They also want to avoid confrontation with the local police inspector. Doing most of the investigating on their own, they succeed admirably in this effort.

The author presents most of her characters in just a few words, but manages to make these brief depictions comprehensive. By the end of the book, all of them seem like people the reader knows quite well. Given the large number of characters involved in the story, this is an amazing accomplishment.

Well-written and witty, this tale is a true holiday gem.

Super User
2010-04-24 21:07:51

Cecily Baxter, owner of the Pennyfoot Hotel, is looking forward to a lot of festive Christmas activity. Unfortunately, someone has other ideas. A young male servant seemingly falls off the roof--and a villager playing Father Christmas is murdered. Determined not to have the holidays ruined, Cecily sets out to discover what has happened.

The book's language evokes its Edwardian time period. Conversation is genteel and the prose is dignified without being pretentious. This formality is refreshing and draws the reader into the story more deeply.

The police procedure--or rather the lack of it in this instance--is also notable. The Baxters, with the aid of the local doctor, try to sweep events under the rug so as not to disturb their guests. They also want to avoid confrontation with the local police inspector. Doing most of the investigating on their own, they succeed admirably in this effort.

The author presents most of her characters in just a few words, but manages to make these brief depictions comprehensive. By the end of the book, all of them seem like people the reader knows quite well. Given the large number of characters involved in the story, this is an amazing accomplishment.

Well-written and witty, this tale is a true holiday gem.

Stalemate
Sara Polsky

Colombian criminal Luis Montalvo sees something of himself in forensic sculptor Eve Duncan, and he's determined to convince her to travel to his compound and complete a forensic project for him. Specifically, Montalvo wants her to reconstruct a skull he's retrieved. In exchange, he'll help Eve find out who killed her daughter, Bonnie, even though Eve thinks she's exhausted all leads. Eve can't resist the offer, even if taking it means going against the advice of her partner, Joe. When Joe follows her to Colombia and Diaz, a local drug lord, figures out what she's working on and tries to stop her, Eve and Montalvo must figure out a way to get them all out of danger.

??The characters in Johansen's latest novel are intriguing, and Stalemate is a page-turner, but Eve's choices are black and white. It is obvious from the beginning that Eve will help Montalvo and that she will continue to work with him once her reconstruction is done in the hope of saving Joe and finding Bonnie's killer. The resulting novel is fairly predictable.

Super User
2010-04-24 21:07:51

Colombian criminal Luis Montalvo sees something of himself in forensic sculptor Eve Duncan, and he's determined to convince her to travel to his compound and complete a forensic project for him. Specifically, Montalvo wants her to reconstruct a skull he's retrieved. In exchange, he'll help Eve find out who killed her daughter, Bonnie, even though Eve thinks she's exhausted all leads. Eve can't resist the offer, even if taking it means going against the advice of her partner, Joe. When Joe follows her to Colombia and Diaz, a local drug lord, figures out what she's working on and tries to stop her, Eve and Montalvo must figure out a way to get them all out of danger.

??The characters in Johansen's latest novel are intriguing, and Stalemate is a page-turner, but Eve's choices are black and white. It is obvious from the beginning that Eve will help Montalvo and that she will continue to work with him once her reconstruction is done in the hope of saving Joe and finding Bonnie's killer. The resulting novel is fairly predictable.

Stone Butterfly
Hank Wagner

Ute tribal investigator Charlie Moon is, at first, dismissive when his Aunt Daisy describes her vivid dreams of a little girl with blood dripping from her hands. But he begins to take her visions more seriously after hearing of the murder of an elderly Nevada man, purportedly at the hands of Sarah Frank, a twelve year old Ute-Papago orphan whose father was Moon's childhood friend. Hoping to help Sarah, who has seemingly vanished into thin air, Charlie and his lover, FBI Special Agent Lila McTeague, travel from his ranch in Colorado to Nevada to investigate, little realizing that the fiercely independent Sarah has her own surprising agenda.

Stone Butterfly is a thoroughly entertaining, thoroughly engrossing novel, brimming with vivid examples of the best and worst of humanity and human nature. Doss is a sly narrator, unafraid to let his characters look silly or to let them come to harm. The result is an entirely unpredictable story, a book full of surprises, some which will shock, and others which will bring some readers to tears. Stone Butterfly is potent stuff, a book with style, pathos, enthusiasm, and humor to spare.

Super User
2010-04-24 21:09:28

Ute tribal investigator Charlie Moon is, at first, dismissive when his Aunt Daisy describes her vivid dreams of a little girl with blood dripping from her hands. But he begins to take her visions more seriously after hearing of the murder of an elderly Nevada man, purportedly at the hands of Sarah Frank, a twelve year old Ute-Papago orphan whose father was Moon's childhood friend. Hoping to help Sarah, who has seemingly vanished into thin air, Charlie and his lover, FBI Special Agent Lila McTeague, travel from his ranch in Colorado to Nevada to investigate, little realizing that the fiercely independent Sarah has her own surprising agenda.

Stone Butterfly is a thoroughly entertaining, thoroughly engrossing novel, brimming with vivid examples of the best and worst of humanity and human nature. Doss is a sly narrator, unafraid to let his characters look silly or to let them come to harm. The result is an entirely unpredictable story, a book full of surprises, some which will shock, and others which will bring some readers to tears. Stone Butterfly is potent stuff, a book with style, pathos, enthusiasm, and humor to spare.

Stranded
Lynne Maxwell

Fourth in the witty series featuring spry senior sleuth and mobile home dweller Ivy Malone, Stranded dramatizes a road trip run amuck. Travelling in her cozy mobile home while on the run from a gang of criminals who have targeted her for testifying in court against their leader, Ivy and her sidekick Abilene, herself on the run from an abusive husband, find themselves stranded in a small Colorado town when their vehicle breaks down in a blizzard. Divine providence comes to their rescue, as Ivy, Abilene and Koop (their cat, who hates cigarette smoke and is along for the ride) locate a grand but dilapidated house in which to live gratis. They also swiftly land perfect jobs to tide them over while they amass funds to pay for the prohibitively expensive car repairs. That the house is the scene of a previous murder is only an enticement for the insatiably curious Ivy, who is determined to solve the mystery. Fortunately, Ivy and Abilene possess the precise skills of detection necessary to bring matters to a satisfactory resolution, with a few surprises along the way.

Lorena McCourtney's wonderful series just keeps getting better. With a winning narrative voice and clever plotting, these books are cozies with a welcome twist. Ivy Malone feels like an old and trusted friend, despite the laughably preposterous premise that sends her on the road in her mobile home. This winter, curl up with a McCourtney novel and a cup of tea. Comfort never felt so good.

Super User
2010-04-24 21:09:28

Fourth in the witty series featuring spry senior sleuth and mobile home dweller Ivy Malone, Stranded dramatizes a road trip run amuck. Travelling in her cozy mobile home while on the run from a gang of criminals who have targeted her for testifying in court against their leader, Ivy and her sidekick Abilene, herself on the run from an abusive husband, find themselves stranded in a small Colorado town when their vehicle breaks down in a blizzard. Divine providence comes to their rescue, as Ivy, Abilene and Koop (their cat, who hates cigarette smoke and is along for the ride) locate a grand but dilapidated house in which to live gratis. They also swiftly land perfect jobs to tide them over while they amass funds to pay for the prohibitively expensive car repairs. That the house is the scene of a previous murder is only an enticement for the insatiably curious Ivy, who is determined to solve the mystery. Fortunately, Ivy and Abilene possess the precise skills of detection necessary to bring matters to a satisfactory resolution, with a few surprises along the way.

Lorena McCourtney's wonderful series just keeps getting better. With a winning narrative voice and clever plotting, these books are cozies with a welcome twist. Ivy Malone feels like an old and trusted friend, despite the laughably preposterous premise that sends her on the road in her mobile home. This winter, curl up with a McCourtney novel and a cup of tea. Comfort never felt so good.

Stripped
Verna Suit

This compelling book opens with two murders in Las Vegas, the first, a dancer swimming in a rooftop pool and the second, a prostitute's john. The murders take place 40 years apart but they are connected to a handful of other recent deaths that at first appear random. Detective Jonathan Stride and his new partner, Amanda, get the case. It is up to them to unravel the thread that connects the present day murders to the long-ago death of an erotic dancer named Amira, and to stop the killer.

Sex, violence, and power permeate the story. They also pose unnervingly real threats to Detective Serena Dial, the love of Stride's life and the reason he transferred to Las Vegas from his hometown of Duluth, Minnesota. Stride soon finds Vegas is a different world where "all that sin" constantly tempts people to cross the line.

Stripped is a police procedural that grabs the reader on the first page and doesn't let go. It captures the pulse and character of modern Las Vegas and also evokes the city's glory days when Sinatra and his Rat Pack represented the epitome of sophistication. Stripped is a follow-up to Freeman's Edgar-nominated Immoral. I eagerly await Stride and Serena's next challenge.

Super User
2010-04-24 21:09:28

This compelling book opens with two murders in Las Vegas, the first, a dancer swimming in a rooftop pool and the second, a prostitute's john. The murders take place 40 years apart but they are connected to a handful of other recent deaths that at first appear random. Detective Jonathan Stride and his new partner, Amanda, get the case. It is up to them to unravel the thread that connects the present day murders to the long-ago death of an erotic dancer named Amira, and to stop the killer.

Sex, violence, and power permeate the story. They also pose unnervingly real threats to Detective Serena Dial, the love of Stride's life and the reason he transferred to Las Vegas from his hometown of Duluth, Minnesota. Stride soon finds Vegas is a different world where "all that sin" constantly tempts people to cross the line.

Stripped is a police procedural that grabs the reader on the first page and doesn't let go. It captures the pulse and character of modern Las Vegas and also evokes the city's glory days when Sinatra and his Rat Pack represented the epitome of sophistication. Stripped is a follow-up to Freeman's Edgar-nominated Immoral. I eagerly await Stride and Serena's next challenge.

The Assassins of Isis
Sue Reider

The robbery of a Grand Vizier's tomb in ancient Egypt enrages the Pharaoh Queen Hatusu. She charges Amerotke, the Chief Judge of the Hall of Truths, with finding the miscreants. His investigation reveals a wide array of crimes, all connected to a shadowy group known as the Sebaus.

A certain dichotomy infuses the entire book. The dialogue is similar to the stately language of written Egyptian documents, while the story line moves with the rapidity of a modern thriller. The author describes a regimented society, with strict class divisions, where life is quite genteel for those on the upper levels. At the same time, using details of everyday life, he gives a realistic picture of the misery of those at the lower levels.

Amerotke, is a complicated individual. A loving husband and father, he is also philosophical, wondering about the rationale of the various deities. Compassionate towards those less fortunate, he is fearless in confronting those above him, even Pharaoh herself. Yet as a judge, he has no difficulty passing out the cruel punishments of his time; nor does he show awareness of the fundamental unfairness of the class system in which he lives.

Amerotke's sharp eye for detail and ability to connect seemingly unrelated points make him a superlative investigator. His ability to discern the most deeply hidden motives leads to some true surprises as he unravels a vast conspiracy encompassing all levels of Egyptian society.

With its intricate and well-crafted story, vivid descriptions, and realistic characters, this novel is a true Egyptian treasure.

Super User
2010-04-24 21:09:28

The robbery of a Grand Vizier's tomb in ancient Egypt enrages the Pharaoh Queen Hatusu. She charges Amerotke, the Chief Judge of the Hall of Truths, with finding the miscreants. His investigation reveals a wide array of crimes, all connected to a shadowy group known as the Sebaus.

A certain dichotomy infuses the entire book. The dialogue is similar to the stately language of written Egyptian documents, while the story line moves with the rapidity of a modern thriller. The author describes a regimented society, with strict class divisions, where life is quite genteel for those on the upper levels. At the same time, using details of everyday life, he gives a realistic picture of the misery of those at the lower levels.

Amerotke, is a complicated individual. A loving husband and father, he is also philosophical, wondering about the rationale of the various deities. Compassionate towards those less fortunate, he is fearless in confronting those above him, even Pharaoh herself. Yet as a judge, he has no difficulty passing out the cruel punishments of his time; nor does he show awareness of the fundamental unfairness of the class system in which he lives.

Amerotke's sharp eye for detail and ability to connect seemingly unrelated points make him a superlative investigator. His ability to discern the most deeply hidden motives leads to some true surprises as he unravels a vast conspiracy encompassing all levels of Egyptian society.

With its intricate and well-crafted story, vivid descriptions, and realistic characters, this novel is a true Egyptian treasure.

The Blonde
Linda Piwowarczyk

Suppose you had to be within ten feet of someone or you'd die, like maybe your head would explode. That's Kelly White's freakish plight. Enter Jack Eisley. Jack thought his biggest worry was his 8:00 a.m. meeting with his soon to be ex-wife and her high-powered attorney. But that was before he met Kelly. By helping her, he's landed on the short list of Mike Kowalski, an oddly likeable monster of a man, a super secret special op for the Department of Homeland Security who's already carrying one severed head in a duffel bag. Jack's could be next. He has Kelly to thank for that. Oh yeah, and for poisoning him too. The slow acting, hours-to-kill-you kind. Kelly has the antidote, but before she'll administer it, he'll have to do something for her, something that may still cost his life.

Swierczynski's lean writing is gritty and darkly comedic. The Blonde is riveting from the first page to the last. This is Swierczynski's second book. His first was The Wheelman.

Super User
2010-04-24 21:09:28

Suppose you had to be within ten feet of someone or you'd die, like maybe your head would explode. That's Kelly White's freakish plight. Enter Jack Eisley. Jack thought his biggest worry was his 8:00 a.m. meeting with his soon to be ex-wife and her high-powered attorney. But that was before he met Kelly. By helping her, he's landed on the short list of Mike Kowalski, an oddly likeable monster of a man, a super secret special op for the Department of Homeland Security who's already carrying one severed head in a duffel bag. Jack's could be next. He has Kelly to thank for that. Oh yeah, and for poisoning him too. The slow acting, hours-to-kill-you kind. Kelly has the antidote, but before she'll administer it, he'll have to do something for her, something that may still cost his life.

Swierczynski's lean writing is gritty and darkly comedic. The Blonde is riveting from the first page to the last. This is Swierczynski's second book. His first was The Wheelman.

The Casebook of Sidney Zoom
Francis M. Nevins

The name suggests someone who belongs in graphic novels, and this particular soldier in the small army of Gardner's pulp protagonists, with his gaunt face and hawk eyes, his love of risk and hatred for law, his conviction that he's an agent of God's justice and his habit of prowling the post-midnight streets with his savage police dog, may well be the literary granddaddy of all the dark knight figures in comic books. Between 1930 and 1934 Detective Fiction Weekly published sixteen Zoom exploits, most of them the length of novelettes, and pulp connoisseur Bill Pronzini has chosen the ten finest for this collection.

Decades after he broke into hardcover fame and fortune with his Perry Mason novels, Gardner described his years as a pulp writer, pounding out stories on the typewriter every third day, while simultaneously practicing law and trying cases in front of juries. Like all of Gardner's pulp work, the Zoom tales betray signs of having been paid for by the word and written at white heat. A reader may tire of the same descriptive taglines repeated ad infinitum, but the stories are amazingly clever and involuted. Like the vast majority of Gardner characters (Perry Mason included), Zoom is essentially a scam artist. In his middle period he morphs into a sort of Philo Vance figure whom the police graciously accept as a deductive genius and allow to investigate murders as if he were one of their own. The last stories return to his scamster roots, but with telling details of the struggle to survive during the country's worst depression, they hint that Zoom is evolving into the kind of character Anthony Boucher once called "faintly Saintly." Legal gimmicks of course abound throughout the cycle, one of them the same ploy which in Gardner's The Case of the Curious Bride (1934), famously assisted a real-life prosecutor in securing a well-deserved conviction. If this second collection in a projected series of Gardner's pulp tales indicates the quality of the volumes to come, we have many happy hours of reading to look forward to.

Super User
2010-04-24 21:09:28

The name suggests someone who belongs in graphic novels, and this particular soldier in the small army of Gardner's pulp protagonists, with his gaunt face and hawk eyes, his love of risk and hatred for law, his conviction that he's an agent of God's justice and his habit of prowling the post-midnight streets with his savage police dog, may well be the literary granddaddy of all the dark knight figures in comic books. Between 1930 and 1934 Detective Fiction Weekly published sixteen Zoom exploits, most of them the length of novelettes, and pulp connoisseur Bill Pronzini has chosen the ten finest for this collection.

Decades after he broke into hardcover fame and fortune with his Perry Mason novels, Gardner described his years as a pulp writer, pounding out stories on the typewriter every third day, while simultaneously practicing law and trying cases in front of juries. Like all of Gardner's pulp work, the Zoom tales betray signs of having been paid for by the word and written at white heat. A reader may tire of the same descriptive taglines repeated ad infinitum, but the stories are amazingly clever and involuted. Like the vast majority of Gardner characters (Perry Mason included), Zoom is essentially a scam artist. In his middle period he morphs into a sort of Philo Vance figure whom the police graciously accept as a deductive genius and allow to investigate murders as if he were one of their own. The last stories return to his scamster roots, but with telling details of the struggle to survive during the country's worst depression, they hint that Zoom is evolving into the kind of character Anthony Boucher once called "faintly Saintly." Legal gimmicks of course abound throughout the cycle, one of them the same ploy which in Gardner's The Case of the Curious Bride (1934), famously assisted a real-life prosecutor in securing a well-deserved conviction. If this second collection in a projected series of Gardner's pulp tales indicates the quality of the volumes to come, we have many happy hours of reading to look forward to.

The Chemistry of Death
Beverly J. DeWeese

After a personal tragedy, forensics anthropologist Dr. David Hunter has abandoned his successful career to become a general practitioner in a small English village. But, when a woman's mutilated body is found, the local cops insist he help them out.

In this well written mystery, the emphasis is upon clearly and simply explained forensics details. The significance of insect activity around a body and the measurement of blood in the soil are just a couple of the techniques that should intrigue many mystery readers.

Another strength is Dr. Hunter, whose character has been thoughtfully developed. Hunter, grieving deeply over his murdered wife and daughter, had been unable to continue in his chosen field, where he had to deal with violent death daily. Yet his new work, as a doctor in a small village clinic, is unsatisfactory. Especially since his patients and the villagers in general consider him an outsider. Even his attempts at a casual romantic relationship are not successful. But, as he struggles to come to terms with his grief and loneliness, Dr. Hunter becomes a very likeable, if flawed, hero.Recommended for its interesting forensics details, empathetic protagonist, good pacing, and adroit plotting.

Super User
2010-04-24 21:09:28

After a personal tragedy, forensics anthropologist Dr. David Hunter has abandoned his successful career to become a general practitioner in a small English village. But, when a woman's mutilated body is found, the local cops insist he help them out.

In this well written mystery, the emphasis is upon clearly and simply explained forensics details. The significance of insect activity around a body and the measurement of blood in the soil are just a couple of the techniques that should intrigue many mystery readers.

Another strength is Dr. Hunter, whose character has been thoughtfully developed. Hunter, grieving deeply over his murdered wife and daughter, had been unable to continue in his chosen field, where he had to deal with violent death daily. Yet his new work, as a doctor in a small village clinic, is unsatisfactory. Especially since his patients and the villagers in general consider him an outsider. Even his attempts at a casual romantic relationship are not successful. But, as he struggles to come to terms with his grief and loneliness, Dr. Hunter becomes a very likeable, if flawed, hero.Recommended for its interesting forensics details, empathetic protagonist, good pacing, and adroit plotting.

The Detections of Francis Quarles
Francis M. Nevins

During the 1950s several dozen English mystery writers earned extra shillings and pence by writing short-short stories for the London Evening Standard, which may have published as many as one a day. The list of authors who contributed to the Standard in those years includes several who had made their mark in the genre before the war--Margery Allingam, Gladys Mitchell, Nicholas Blake, Leo Bruce, Michael Innes--and various relative newcomers like Edmund Crispin, Michael Gilbert, and Julian Symons. The tales of this sort that Ellery Queens Mystery Magazine founding editor Fred Dannay especially liked were reprinted in EQMM but most have remained unseen outside of England. Symons wrote a staggering 87 short-shorts starring a private investigator named Francis Quarles. During his lifetime 21 of these were collected in Murder! Murder! (1961) and another 15 in Francis Quarles Investigates (1965), two paperback original volumes published only in England. A dozen years after his death comes the first book of Quarles' stories published in the US, a total of 42 tales of which not one has been lifted previous collections.

In Chapter 13 of Symons Bloody Murder: from the Detective Story to the Crime Novel (2nd edition 1985) there's a curious passage which is clearly the authors own assessment of his Evening Standard work: tales of 2,000 words or less, which could easily be read on the bus or train on the way home. Such a length gave no room for development of plot or character, or for anything more than the making of a single ingenious point, for instance that a man, supposedly deaf, has heard a casual remark made in another room.... Anecdotes of this kind can be entertaining both to write and to read, but a diet based on them soon becomes tiring. As so often, Symons nailed it. These mini-mysteries are not substitutes for short whodunits of conventional length and certainly not for detective novels. You'd have to be either crazy or a reviewer to gulp them down in bulk. But as mind stimulators during, say, the endless commercial breaks on Law & Order, nothing could be finer.

Super User
2010-04-24 21:09:28

During the 1950s several dozen English mystery writers earned extra shillings and pence by writing short-short stories for the London Evening Standard, which may have published as many as one a day. The list of authors who contributed to the Standard in those years includes several who had made their mark in the genre before the war--Margery Allingam, Gladys Mitchell, Nicholas Blake, Leo Bruce, Michael Innes--and various relative newcomers like Edmund Crispin, Michael Gilbert, and Julian Symons. The tales of this sort that Ellery Queens Mystery Magazine founding editor Fred Dannay especially liked were reprinted in EQMM but most have remained unseen outside of England. Symons wrote a staggering 87 short-shorts starring a private investigator named Francis Quarles. During his lifetime 21 of these were collected in Murder! Murder! (1961) and another 15 in Francis Quarles Investigates (1965), two paperback original volumes published only in England. A dozen years after his death comes the first book of Quarles' stories published in the US, a total of 42 tales of which not one has been lifted previous collections.

In Chapter 13 of Symons Bloody Murder: from the Detective Story to the Crime Novel (2nd edition 1985) there's a curious passage which is clearly the authors own assessment of his Evening Standard work: tales of 2,000 words or less, which could easily be read on the bus or train on the way home. Such a length gave no room for development of plot or character, or for anything more than the making of a single ingenious point, for instance that a man, supposedly deaf, has heard a casual remark made in another room.... Anecdotes of this kind can be entertaining both to write and to read, but a diet based on them soon becomes tiring. As so often, Symons nailed it. These mini-mysteries are not substitutes for short whodunits of conventional length and certainly not for detective novels. You'd have to be either crazy or a reviewer to gulp them down in bulk. But as mind stimulators during, say, the endless commercial breaks on Law & Order, nothing could be finer.

The Devil's Pitchfork
Hank Wagner

It's 1991, and Derek Stillwater and Richard Coffee are doing recon on an Iraqi ammunition depot. Just as they provide the coordinates for the US bombers overhead, they are discovered by their enemy. At the moment the bombing commences, the wind shifts, carrying poison gas straight towards them. The two Iraqis die within seconds; acting quickly, Stillwater inoculates himself, then Coffee, before fleeing the scene. Later, he passes out. Upon waking, he's told Coffee didn't make it.

Cut to the present. Terrorists have obtained samples of Chimera-13, a lethal man made virus, and are threatening to unleash it in Washington, DC. Now a troubleshooter with Homeland Security, Stillwater is called in to track the terrorists. His investigations and instincts tell him that the theft is the handiwork of his ex-partner, who has seemingly risen from the dead. Questioning his conclusion, and struggling with panic attacks that threaten to shut him down at any moment, Stillwater pursues the dangerous specter from his past.

A thrill ride in novel form, The Devil's Pitchfork is hands down one of the most gripping novels you'll read this year. The plot resonates deeply in our post 9/11 world and it also features one of the more compelling leading men in recent memory, Derek Stillwater. Quick-witted, willful, but somehow vulnerable, Stillwater is Jack Ryan before he lost a step. Rooting for him in his high stakes race against time is easy; anticipating his reactions to each successive shock and surprise is great fun.

Super User
2010-04-24 21:09:28

It's 1991, and Derek Stillwater and Richard Coffee are doing recon on an Iraqi ammunition depot. Just as they provide the coordinates for the US bombers overhead, they are discovered by their enemy. At the moment the bombing commences, the wind shifts, carrying poison gas straight towards them. The two Iraqis die within seconds; acting quickly, Stillwater inoculates himself, then Coffee, before fleeing the scene. Later, he passes out. Upon waking, he's told Coffee didn't make it.

Cut to the present. Terrorists have obtained samples of Chimera-13, a lethal man made virus, and are threatening to unleash it in Washington, DC. Now a troubleshooter with Homeland Security, Stillwater is called in to track the terrorists. His investigations and instincts tell him that the theft is the handiwork of his ex-partner, who has seemingly risen from the dead. Questioning his conclusion, and struggling with panic attacks that threaten to shut him down at any moment, Stillwater pursues the dangerous specter from his past.

A thrill ride in novel form, The Devil's Pitchfork is hands down one of the most gripping novels you'll read this year. The plot resonates deeply in our post 9/11 world and it also features one of the more compelling leading men in recent memory, Derek Stillwater. Quick-witted, willful, but somehow vulnerable, Stillwater is Jack Ryan before he lost a step. Rooting for him in his high stakes race against time is easy; anticipating his reactions to each successive shock and surprise is great fun.